Concept carscan be varied and sometimes really bad, but on the whole, they give manufacturers the opportunity to show off and to prove the world – and their rivals – that they can produce mind-blowing designs and innovation. So what are the concept cars of tomorrow, the cars that you might just see driving down your road and the cars that were so futuristic they’d never make production? Let’s take a look.

Top 5 Concept Cars Of Tomorrow

Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche had a seriously tough act to follow with the Carrera GT. That car, with its V10 engine, more power than god and stunning looks took Porsche from ‘that company which builds the 911, to ‘that company which builds the 911 and the Carrera GT. Jokes aside, though, the Carrera GT literally changed the way we thought about Porsche, so when they announced there would be a replacement, the world held its breath.

Thankfully, the world didn’t suffocate to death, because the replacement was the ‘omg that is so fine I’d happily cheat on my wife with it’ 918 Spyder. It was a concept that was boasting some of the typical traits: bits of design that would never make production and a seriously futuristic engine design. But mostly, the 918 represented the next step for Porsche in the supercar game. And best of all, they have announced it will be put into a small production run.

Lotus Esprit

Lotus are one seriously insane car company. They constantly tell us how they are going to dominate the world with incredible new cars in the next few years, and then, just as we’re all getting excited, they say “oops, no we can’t actually do that now”. It is very annoying, but at least they’ve given us the T-12939393847463 F1 car – that’s definitely its name, by the way.

One car, however, that took everyone’s attention was the Lotus Esprit concept shown at last year’s Paris Motor Show. According to the Norfolk-based company, the Esprit, if they find the financial backing, will hit production in 2013 – and that’s a big IF.

Let’s hope they do find the money, because that is one good looking car.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept

This is an odd one to behold, as Lamborghini released the Sesto Elemento Concept last year and everyone from children to monks started to get very excited. It looked so aggressive even Vinnie Jones would be intimidated, so technologically advanced that the Starship Enterprise would be shaking in its intergalactic boots and so sexy that even Jennifer Lopez would happily give up her crown. It’s a car that evokes so much emotion, but the question remains, will they make it?

Well, they already sort of have. We have the brand new Aventador, which took some of the Sesto’s technology and ran with it, but apart from that, we’ve not heard too much. There have been reports Lamborghini were thinking about putting this 999kg, 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds monster into production, but that then would take the shine off the Aventador.

It’ll probably be a watch this space concept, this one.

Audi Quattro

The words Audi and Quattro go together like cheese and ham, Wigan and pies and bricks and mortar; they are tied together like a marriage in the 1400s – when it wasn’t cool to get divorced! So when Audi announced they would be giving us a new Quattro concept, everybody started getting sweaty palms and sexually aroused.

Audi’s original Quattro – the 1980’s rally-bred, fire breather - became one of the most iconic cars of the 20th century, so when they unveiled the new concept, there was a lot of hype and anticipation. Thankfully, Audi didn’t let us down. The Quattro concept looked so hard you’d swear it was designed by Jean Claude Van Damme. It was everything everyone wanted it to be.

Oh, and there’s more good news, too. Audi hinted they would put the new Quattro into a small production run if they received enough interest. So get emailing people!

Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta by Pininfarina

As said in the introduction paragraph, most concepts never see the light of day with regards to production. They are usually there to annoy the competition and gather up some hype for the brand, and that is exactly what the Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta by Pininfarina is for. It may have one of the most ridiculous names since Ben Dover, but you’ll forgive the Italians for all of the naming issues once you lay eyes on it.

Damn, that is one fine piece of metal, don’t you agree? The curves, the body, the rear-end… it’s just car porn in every sense of the word.

Thank you, Alfa Romeo. Thank you, Pininfarina.

This is a guest post on behalf of the used cars search engine Netcars.com